No Link Between Testosterone Levels and Male Pattern Baldness

A recent study failed to find a link between testosterone levels and male pattern baldness:

A cross-sectional population study conducted in Northeastern Germany examined 373 men from the general population who had not received prescribed drugs in the past 7 days. Blood sampled were taken from each participant and a panel of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry measurements were conducted and analyzed to determine the serum concentration of sex hormones. In addition, dermatologist examined each participant and assessed general hair loss (yes or no).
The analysis revealed no significant relationship between general hair loss and testosterone levels in men from the general population. When men with and without general hair loss were compared, there was no observable difference in androgen concentrations. With regards to androgenic alopecia and premature balding, these findings were consistent with previous studies that consisted of smaller sample sizes and selected participants.

As far as I know, most of the studies indicate that male pattern baldness is actually associated with lower testosterone levels than men without it. Hypothetically, it could be that men who produce more DHT metabolize more of their testosterone, although I am skeptical of DHT's role in MPB anyway. Of course, like prostate cancer, the great irony is that most men don't lose their hair when their testosterone levels are highest (late teens, 20s), the majority start to lose hair as they age, and their t-levels begin to decline. Paradoxically, my scalp hair has thickened over the past 3 months since starting testosterone, and I thought it might have just been my imagination but I've been told by others without even bringing it up.

"The role of androgen in male pattern hair loss is well established. American anatomist James Hamilton observed that castrated males did not develop MAA unless they were supplemented with testosterone (50).Measurements of serum androgens, testosterone, dihydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA), and free testosterone levels have failed to demonstrate a reproducible difference between cases and controls (51). A study that assessed different hormonal levels in MAA and age-matched controls measured elevated levels of cortisol and androstenedione in those experiencing MAA (52). This study further suggests a broad range of hormones may influence androgenetic alopecia. Even though scalp hair loss and hirsutism are essential features of hyperandrogenism in women, several investigations failed to demonstrate raised androgen levels in women (53). Therefore it is suggested that normal levels of androgens are sufficient to cause hair loss in genetically susceptible individuals.The observation that eunuchoidal patients with androgen-insensitivity syndrome and 5 alpha-reductase deficiency do not go bald suggests that MAA is induced by activation of follicular androgen receptors by DHT (54-56). Patients affected by Kennedy's disease, with a functional abnormality of the androgen receptor gene, have a reduced risk of MAA (57). Increased levels of DHT have been found in balding scalp compared to non-balding scalp (58).Intrafollicular androgen over-activity may also be the result of local factors including an increased number of androgen receptors, functional polymorphisms of the androgen receptor, increased local production of DHT, and reduced local degradation of DHT (59)."

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